Sleight of Hand

Chapter 24

As training went on, Kurtis's job got easier. Most of the Superhumans had regained control over their power to the point they were almost back to normal.

They seemed to tire more quickly than before, Kurtis noted, but he figured it was from their lack of using their abilities for a quarter of a century.

As he watched Bacon and Alykaim go through the train­ing exercise he assigned them for the day, he shuddered. It was a miracle Tom and Sierra had found the Superhumans when they did.

Kurtis had always planned to find the Superhumans again, but he'd had no idea how to do it with­out encoun-tering his son. If Tom and Sierra hadn't found them, what would've happened?

Kurtis brought his thoughts back to the present. Alyakim had created a miniature storm that only spanned over his house. Bacon was reaching his hands to the sky, manipulating the lightning strikes that flashed in the atmos­phere. He pointed to the sea beyond them, and a bolt struck the waves. He opened his palm, and a bolt zigzagged down to the ground where he stood. He clasped his hand shut, and the lightning bolt broke off from the sky, sparking in his hand as he held it aloft like a spear. He threw it into the sea.

Alyakim kept her eyes focused on the sky. The dark clouds tumbled over one another as they tried to escape Alyakim's control, but she didn't let up. Rain poured from the clouds, drenching them while the rest of the Super-humans were bottled up inside Kurtis's house.

Occasionally, Alyakim would flick a finger and a lightning bolt would flash, or the direction of the wind changed. After a brief warmup of summoning their power and going through some easier tasks within their abilities, Kurtis watched them do this for the rest of the session with mini­mal supervision. They didn't need him anymore.

When Kurtis's watch beeped noon, Kurtis waved his hands, signaling them to stop. Alyakim's concentration broke as Bacon shouted to her over the storm, and the clouds dissipated into nothing. They walked over to Kurtis, soaking wet and breathing heavily.

"Well done, you two. I think you have reached the point where I cannot help you much anymore."

Bacon and Alyakim beamed excitedly at each other.

"Now, go change out of those wet clothes, and get some well-earned rest."

They walked back into the house, and Kurtis followed them. He needed to change out of his sopping clothes—and get some lunch—before his next session with Aivilo and Trebor. Kurtis frowned as he walked into the kitchen. How was he going to do this next session? While most of the Superhumans had mastered their powers again, Aivilo still held back. She used the barest minimum of power, and Kurtis realized that she was always in a foul mood these days. He missed the little girl he taught back before the war. Before the Mage had even existed. She was always smiling, was always positive. Kurtis hoped that the Mage hadn't broken her for good.

When the time came to head to the warehouse for train­ing, Kurtis caught up to Trebor as he was walking out the door.

"Where's Aivilo?" he asked, peering up at Trebor.

Kurtis hadn't realized how much taller and bigger Trebor was. He remembered when the boy was as skinny as a twig, one of the smallest of his students.

Trebor shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't know. I assumed she was already in the warehouse."

But when they got to the warehouse, Aivilo wasn't there. Trebor took one glance around the room, sighed in annoyance, and turned to Kurtis.

"I'll be back," he said, and vanished into shadows. He appeared a few minutes later with his arms wrapped around a wriggling Aivilo, trapping her hands by her sides.